Contents

History

The Raglan area has been inhabited for at least 800 years and
was originally known by Maori as Whangaroa “the long pursuit”. To
avoid confusion with another place of the same name, Whaingaroa was
later adopted to avoid confusion. The current name of Raglan was
adopted in 1858 in honour of Fitzroy Somerset, 1st Lord Raglan, who was
the commander of British forces in the Crimean War at the time.

The first Europeans to settle in the area were the Rev James
and Mary Wallis who were Wesleyan Missionaries that local Maori
embraced and welcomed in 1835[2].
European settlement including large scale conversion of land to
pasture commenced in earnest almost 20 years after the mission in
the mid 1850’s after a large sale of land by Chief Wiremu Neera Te
Awaitaia.

The local Raglan economy was supported initially by flax and
timber exports, these were followed by farming and dairy which are
still the mainstays of the area. Tourism and the arts are also
significant contributors to the current economy.

Geography

Raglan is associated with Whaingaroa Harbour (also known as
Raglan Harbour) on the west coast of the Waikato region in New Zealand's North Island. The
harbour runs 12 km inland from the entrance, for the most part
is less than 2 km wide, and is the northernmost of three large
inlets in the Waikato coast.

Southwest of the township stands the extinct volcano of Mt
Karioi. According to Māori
legend the Karioi was a jilted Māori Princess who, upon discovering
that love was lost, lay down and rests until this day.

The area is also home to the popular tourist destination, Bridal Veil Falls, which is
located 20 kilometres southeast of the township.

Surf
Breaks

Raglan is best known for its surf. Eight kilometres from the
Raglan township is a series of surf breaks including
Indicators, Whale Bay, and Manu Bay. Manu Bay was
featured in the 1966 movie The Endless Summer.

Indicators is a left hand point break that
breaks for up to 600m, from 2 to 10 feet+ (Hawaiian scale). It is a
long-walled, fast wave with occasional barrels, particularly on the
low tide. It picks up a lot of swell and is very consistent. On big
days the wave can link up with the next break called Whale
Bay.

Whale Bay is a left hand point break that
breaks up to 200m in length, from about 2 to 8 feet+. It has two
sections, an inside hollow section up to about 4 feet that breaks
very close to the rocks, and an outside, slower section from 4 feet
up. It has been rumoured by locals to link up with the next break
further down-Manu Point-but only on very large swells, making a
potential ride of up to 2 km from the top of Indicators, which
locals say has only been achieved once.

Manu Point is a left hand point break which
works from 2 to 10 feet+, breaking over 300m. It has alternate
hollow and wall sections, occasional barrels, and is usually about
2/3 the size of Indicators.

Vortex Bay is a soft peak east of the boat ramp
that sometimes breaks on low tide when the swell is too large for
the main three points.

There is also a beach break further down from Manu Point.
Ruapuke is another beach break well to the west around the
point.

Raglan has hosted a world championship surfing event at Ruapuke beach and is home to a
learn-to-surf school.

Arts

Visual artists hold the annual Raglan Festival of Art in the
Raglan Town Hall and the Raglan Old School Art Centre. Fabric
artists show their creations in the biennial ArtoWear competition.
For Matariki there are
displays of Māori art.
Local art is on display in the Show Off Gallery, Kanuka Design,
local cafes and the Raglan Old School Arts
Centre. The Arts Centre is in a 19th century heritage building,
the former Raglan
School.

Music

There's a live music scene in Raglan, supported by the
International Soundsplash Eco Reggae Festival which ran yearly in
summer on the Wainui Reserve, between 2001 and 2008, attracting
some of the biggest names in roots, reggae and dub, as well as
local acts[3].

The Musicians' Club have open-mic nights at the Town Hall supper
room on the last Thursday of each month. There is also an open-mic
happy hour once a month at the Old School Arts Centre.